


About the office's pillows

by Sunshinemage



Series: Dirvhenan Worldstate - Random Drabbles [1]
Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: M/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-09-22 02:40:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9578861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunshinemage/pseuds/Sunshinemage
Summary: In which Master Nindarhmen Lavellan, Seneschal of Elvhen Affairs to the Inquisition, gets his own office.- Skyhold, 9:41 Dragon -





	

"No, that's not what I meant. You misinterpret my words."

Master Nindarhmen Lavellan quietly sat behind the desk - his desk. The little study under the Great Hall had been re-purposed, all cleaned up, bookshelves dusted off and apparently refurnished, old bones and cobwebs gotten rid of. The door as well as the desk itself had been sanded down and varnished anew, giving them a particular glossy touch as well as making the whole place fragrant with the strong smell of resin.

"And what did you mean exactly by 'out of sight?', Lloyd?" Nin asked. "Because 'my office is put out of sight since my work is considered lesser than anyone else's work' is the way I understood it."

"I just meant... I merely was observing..."

Nin sighed and sagged into his chair.

"I apologise, Lloyd. I've been a bit... on edge since the Winter Palace," he said with a sad smile, "I know you didn't mean anything by it."

Nin tapped his fingers on the armrests. So this was his office. Until now, he had shared Josephine's office, and she had helped him receive the dignitaries who wished to speak to him. He had written his letters, organised his mail and done all his work from her desk, when he wasn't doing it from Thalon's desk.

He had attracted quite the crowd at the Palace. Most of them, wanting to get closer to the Inquisitor, approached him in the hopes of learning something of value. Some, however, were genuinely curious about his work. At the end of the night, Nin had been able to sort them all out and gave some of his time to those who would later prove to be excellent allies. After a week, Nin received more letters than he had ever seen. It was getting difficult for him to keep track of them, and even more so for Josephine, who simply couldn't keep sharing her desk. It was suggested at some point to have a second desk installed in Josephine's office, but she insisted that the Seneschal should have his own. A proper one.

 _Now I have my own desk,_ he thought. _That must count for something. A shame I don't have any windows, but I won't complain. At least there's only one entrance to keep an eye on._

Nin looked around. All cleaned up, this room made for a very nice office. He had already spent many hours in there, browsing through the bookshelves full of intriguing, dubious old tomes, reading about anything and everything. There were many, many books in there, and Nin had even hidden some of them for him to properly analyse later.

_Speaking of which..._

Nin stood up and stepped closer to the bookshelves, his eyes going from one book to another. New ones had made their appearance among the others, and some of the oldest, most obscure or most controversial ones had been replaced. Whether if it was out of concern for appearances or as a form of censorship remained to be seen. He made a mental note to ask the Spymaster about that later. A quick glance at the little steps leading to the desk confirmed what he hoped: the cache he had discovered under them was still secure, and so were the few tomes he had put there - like a remarkably well preserved compendium of letters between two lovers who apparently were a noble elf of Halamshiral and a Chevalier during the Exalted March of the Dales.

"Please tell me if there's anything more you wish me to have brought here," Lloyd said tentatively. "For the decor, I mean."

Nin smiled. The place could indeed benefit from a little light as well as warmth.

"Leave that to me." He chirped. "I'll take care of the decor."

Lloyd leafed through his notes. The sound of rustling paper usually was calming to Nin, but Lloyd seemed a bit too nervous. His hands were slightly shaking.

"You know, in the end, 'out of sight' isn't so bad." Nin said. "It's quieter this way."

Lloyd sighed, visibly relieved.

"I understand the place might seem, ah, isolated. Of course, we'll have a guard posted outside your door when you're holding meetings."

"I hope it won't be necessary."

"It shouldn't be necessary, Master Lavellan, but it's a precaution. You know fairly well the concerns and behaviours of some dignitaries, wherever they might be from."

"Sadly yes," Nin chuckled.

He didn't need to be told twice. Nin had sent many letters and petitioned several noble houses, and thanks to Josephine's help, he had learnt how to interpret the replies he had gotten. He knew fairly well how much flattery rhymed with dishonesty, and all he witnessed at the Winter Palace of Halamshiral was a prime example of that.

 _What an awful night,_ he thought. _Almost everyone was out to get Thalon, and the ones that weren't were at each others' throats. Lies and deceit, hidden meanings and false pretenses. Masked faces to hide their hideous truths. No word spoken aimlessly, no gesture given out freely._

Nin tried to suppress a shiver when his mind conjured images of Thalon's eyes the moment the words 'then we let Celene die' left his lips, images of his face when he told Nin there wasn't any other solution, and even if there was, they didn't have the time. Back then, Nin knew Thalon was trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince him. And he had been right, they lacked time.

_Doesn't make it any easier to accept._

In the end, even if the night had been a trying one for everyone, he had made some contacts among both the nobles and the elvhen servants. Several of the former had been following him for a while, offering him apéritifs and petits fours, sometimes even blatantly courting him. He had yet to determine whether this was a good thing or not.

Lloyd's voice drew Nin out of his thoughts.

"Lady Montilyet has provided fresh parchments, ink and quills, you'll find them in your desk. The cabinet behind contains your previous correspondence as well as the various reports you've received since day one. The servants will bring in the finishing touches soon, I hope. I told Pippera to pick up some furs and cushions, and- "

"Pippera isn't a serving girl," Nin interrupted, wincing at the term, "she's my aide and student."

"I... yes, of course, but- "

"There's no arguing this, Lloyd. I have been very clear on the subject." Nin sighed. "She isn't to be asked around when she is already busy with her own work and studies. But rest assured, If I do need help with anything, I will ask the serving personnel for it."

"If I may, Master Lavellan, I will remind you that not all servants are elves."

Nin crossed his arms and clicked his tongue.

"This isn't my issue." He said calmly. "I know exactly how many elves, dwarves and humans are among Skyhold's 'servants'. This isn't a matter of race. The issue is how casually you are assuming basic tasks are so beneath you that someone else will do them for you. That someone else is required to do them for you. And before you protest, please let me finish. I am aware that these people are here for this, that this is their work, and that they are paid to do so - thank the Creators. But the fact that they are making our lives and work easier doesn't mean we can't make their own lives and work easier as well. The least we can do is to show some acknowledgement and appreciation. A good starting point would be asking people for something instead of just telling them to do it."

"I... will keep this in mind."

"Thank you."

Lloyd put all his notes in order and rolled them up.

"I think I showed you all I had to show." He said after clearing his throat. "Do you, ah... do you need me for anything else, Master Lavellan?"

"I do not." Nin replied with a light smile. "Thank you, once again. Please give Lady Montilyet my thanks as well."

 

____

 

Moments passed before Nin, who was sitting on the floor surrounded by books and parchments of all kinds, heard a soft knock on the door.

"Door's open, come in!" He called out without looking up from what he was doing.

A mass of auburn locks popped up from behind the door, followed by the sound of a cheery voice.

"Master Nin?" Pippera said. "We're bringing tea and pillows!"

This time, Nin lifted his chin and turned to look at Pippera.

" 'We'?" He asked, ears twitching.

The young elvhen girl smiled and pushed the door with her elbow as she walked through it. She was carrying a wooden tray with a teapot and three cups, from which rose a subtle smell of fresh lemon. Behind her carefully walked a tall silhouette hidden behind an armful of pillows and cushions.

"Master Lavellan's cushions have arrived!" The silhouette announced.

Nin snickered. There was no mistaking that voice.

"You have my gratitude, My Lord." He jested as Thalon settled his load on the ground. He set the books and parchments aside and stood up. "I ah, lost track of time again, didn't I?"

Pippera walked past him and towards the desk so she could put down the tray. The smirk she was sporting only confirmed what Nin thought.

"I'd say so." Thalon replied softly while getting closer to Nin. "Lloyd came back alone from here almost two hours ago. I wanted to check on you, and Miss Erin here mentioned she had to bring pillows to you, so I proposed to help her with it."

Nin huffed.

"She didn't have to. She shouldn't have to." He muttered, folding his arms. Thalon chuckled and planted a light kiss on top of his husband's head.

"Messere Lloyd came to me," Pippera chimed in, "he apologised. He just said 'sorry' and went on about his day. I admit I'm confused."

"Did he, now?" Nin asked, tilting his head. "I must have sounded so harsh..."

 "You always do when it comes to defending someone, _ma'halla_." Thalon said. "Even if your 'harsh' tone is a lot less harsher than some."

Pippera was pouring the tea into three cups, laughing softly. She brought two over for Thalon and Nin, then went back to get the last one for herself. The three of them enjoyed the warm and soothing drink quietly, thin curls of smoke raising from the cups to float all around the room, mingling with the little of orbs of light already in the air. Once the door closed behind Lloyd a couple of hours earlier, Nin had replaced the torches with his own lights. There were dozens of them, no bigger than a fist save a single one, as big as a head, hanging above the desk. The whole study felt completely different: when before it was cold, dark and uninviting, it was now full of warmth and filled with golden, soothing light.

It was also a mess. Books hastily taken out of the bookshelves and arranged in wobbling piles scattered all around. Parchments and journals everywhere except on the desk, Nin's coat, scarf and gloves casually thrown over the chair, his boots carelessly shoved under the same chair. A pouch of dried elfroot leaves and a carved, half-stuffed wooden pipe had been left on the floor next to the little steps, where he was previously sitting.

"You made yourself at home, I see." Thalon said with a smile. "There isn't any doubt as to whose office this is, now."

"Are you talking about the lights," Nin asked, taking another sip. "or the messiness?"

"Well, the lights, but now that you mention it..." Thalon teased. "Although, you're only this messy when you've found something interesting."

Nin beamed at his husband.

"I have!" He chirped.

Nin's cup of tea was promptly discarded, forgotten atop of one of the numerous piles of books.

"I found some pages taken from the journal of an Emerald Knight," he said enthusiastically, rummaging through his notes. "and also records of some of the old noble houses of Halamshiral, all written by an archivist of house Olasmelan! Can you believe this? Not much of it is very legible, though. I'll have to work on a proper translation, and oh, this will greatly help in recovering parts of the language! It's in ancient Elvhen, look at this!"

"House Olasmelan? Were they an important house?" Pippera asked, her eyes shining with curiosity.

"Maybe not that important, no," Nin replied, "but house Olasmelan is the house which later became the Dalish clan my mother would be born into. I should make a copy of some of these records and send them to my grandfather, his clan would get some of their history back!"

As Nin told Pippera the tale of his mother's old clan, from their origin to their ties to the Grey Wardens, Thalon was quietly sipping his own tea, smiling fondly into the cup whenever his husband got a bit too excited and almost tripped over his words.

 _Such a contrast with the past few days_ , he thought.

Thalon couldn't help but feel relieved. Although it would never be truly gone, all the tension, all the bad aftertaste left by the whole Winter Palace ordeal was beginning to fade.

_Not that I expect it to be gone. And not that I expect things to get easier from now on._

And Nin, oh, Nin. It had taken him so much strength to refrain from breaking down. Several times Thalon had seen him from the corner of his eye, half-hiding behind a curtain, a pillar, his face in his hands. He had never wanted anything more than give up everything and run to him. But the Great Game was only so merciful. Even when Thalon couldn't go to his husband, he could feel everything Nin had felt, and it had mad his blood boil at times. Then he had felt nothing, and saw Nin's face completely closing off, as if he was wearing a mask as well. Nin, who always seemed to wear his heart on his sleeve, never shying away from what he was feeling, had hidden everything from the world that night. Harsh, imperturbable, _cold_. He had never seen such an expression on Nin's features.

' _I am fine_ ' Nin had assured him at the time. And somehow, despite all evidences to the contrary, Thalon had known he wasn't lying.

The moment they were back at Skyhold after all this, he and Nin had spend an entire day in their quarters, despite Josephine's protests. Even though the Lady Ambassador had been understanding, she had made it clear that diplomatic relations between the Inquisition and the rest of Thedas would only become harder to manage from this point. And she was right: everyone wanted to get on the Lord Inquisitor's good side, even more than before. It wasn't just a question of holiness and enlightenment now, it was a question of power. It was a race to get into the Inquisition's good graces in the hopes of getting something in return. Everything had a price. Every gesture, word, show of good faith was given with the expectation of being repaid in kind. It was exhausting to have to always be wary of everyone and everything.

And now here they were, on the ground of the little study, surrounded by a mess of books and papers of all kinds, by lights and the smell of lemon tea. Nin was speaking awfully fast, and Pippera was all but drinking his words, not missing a single one.

Thalon sighed contentedly, a warm feeling spreading in his chest.

Moments like these were worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thalon Lavellan belongs to [@princeofmorley](http://princeofmorley.tumblr.com) (tumblr)  
> Nindarhmen belongs to me (you can find me under the same handle on tumblr)
> 
> Dirvhenan Worldstate is the combined canon of both our OCs.


End file.
